The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
The production of whiskey and Bourbon have a long history in Tennessee and one of the best places to learn about it is to Go to the Jack Daniels Distillery which offers factory tours. We arrived at the visitor center and got tickets for our tour and while waiting, walked around and saw many displays that explained the whiskey making process, and what make Jack Daniels brand so unique. When it was time to leave on … [Read more...]
The Gibson Guitar Factory Tour is a wonderful place to watch American ingenuity and craftsmanship at its very best. We were fascinated watching and learning how guitars are constructed from start to finish. You cannot believe what goes into making these beautiful instruments and the incredibly talented folks who bring them to life. From molding and drying the wood into the unique shape, to the finishing process, … [Read more...]
Could you think of a more aptly named place to be the home of the Jelly Belly Factory tour than Pleasant Prairie? My kids were so excited for this stop it's all they could talk about since the moment they woke up. I'll confess I have a pretty big sweet tooth and I think I was just as excited as they were. As a mom, my mantra is moderation and I think it's an important lesson to teach your children especially as … [Read more...]
Did you know that the Chicago Post Office is the busiest in the nation? The Chicago Post office offers tours and after making arrangements a few days in advance we headed over right after our visit at Millennium Park. We met our tour guide, a wonderful gentleman who informed us he'd been working there for 43 years. He proceeded to tell us what happens to a piece of mail after we put in in the mailbox showing us … [Read more...]
A big shout out to Ben our fabulous tour guide at the Thos. Moser Furniture Factory for really taking the time to show us what goes in to making the amazingly beautiful pieces. After donning protective glasses, we first saw some of the gorgeous finished products being ready to ship-dining room tables and chairs, cabinets, and some original and one of a kind pieces. Ben then took us through the process from start … [Read more...]
Vermont is also famous for cheddar cheese, and no one does it better than Cabot Creamery. We headed up to the factory in Cabot and learned all about the cheese making process. The Cabot Creamery is a co-op, which means it is owned by all the dairy farmers who provide their milk- they share the cost and the profit working together to ensure a top quality product. After watching a short movie about how cheese is … [Read more...]
Everyone knows Vermont is the home of maple syrup and Dakin Farms is one of the oldest farms in Vermont, but do you know how it's made? Unfortunately for us, we still don't know as we got there just as they were closing. The woman manning the shop on Route 7 was kind enough to let us run it and buy some syrup to take home and some corn cob smoked turkey and a few other goodies to snack on. Sadly we got … [Read more...]
As you drive through and explore Vermont, you realize why this is the perfect location for the Ben and Jerry's factory. Rural dairy farms and a hippie vibe swirled together just like their ice cream. My kids just could not wait to get here. Unfortunately the way it worked out on our trip, we needed to hit this stop in the morning and lucky for us, it opened at 9am. Ice cream for breakfast-not such a bad … [Read more...]
The Federal Bureau of Engraving is one of the few places where we have ever experienced such tight security. It was so tight in fact that we couldn't even bring in our phones or camera, we had to leave everything in the car. You can't even walk up to the building, you have to park and take a special shuttle bus that takes you to the front entrance. It's no surprise then that I don't have any photos of the … [Read more...]
I was really sad to read that the Weaver Potato Chip Factory just closed costing 70 folks their jobs. Weaver's had been around for 76 years-and that's a long time. They had their ups and downs during hard economic times but with an infusion of some new investment money they were making progress turning the company around. Sadly just as they were getting going, their Nebraska potato supplier sent their much … [Read more...]
